Goose and the Gander
by CrystalDaggerz
Summary: Bryan Fury reluctantly goes to Dr. Boskonovitch for technological help again, and the scientist actually agrees-- on one condition: that he safely bring to him his granddaughter. Unfortunetly, it's more difficult of a job than he realized. BryanxOC
1. Mother Neccesity

**Goose and the Gander**

**Chapter One: Mother Necessity**

_''Standing erect over the army of carcasses in a sea of crimson blood like a warrior in stone, he gave a mighty roar, which rang over the faraway hills, telling of his victory. He had fought and he had won, overcoming the sea of enemies that swarmed his village--with the aid of his brothers. The medics in his village would survive, and his legacy--their legacy, would also survive even after death, with those children who would now live past their third birthday. The cure would save them all...''_

* * *

Now I dearly love Dr. B, everyone at the facility knows that I think of him as my own padre; but the old man is just loco en la cabeza. Why? He's just too trusting, plain and simple. I mean, it _is_ O.K to have a good heart, that's just bueno, but there's a line between forgiveness and insanity that cannot be crossed; and unfortunately, the old man built another civilization on the other side. He is the type of person who would give the man who mugged him a few extra bucks to put gas in his tank to make it to the ATM. But that amigo, fails to comparison to what he did just yesterday: forgave Bryon Fury.

You know, the loco Terminator reject?

Imagine my surprise that day when I opened the door to his little office holding a mug of coffee for the great doctor to see the two together. Sitting. Together. Talking. My brain up and left to the nearest ward, and it must have shown on my face, for the doctor looked up at me from the tip of his nose, squinting through his spectacles with a tight frown. Recovering from my shock and knowing that if I opened my mouth right then I'd utter gibberish like a little niña, I stepped inside quickly, looking down at my sneakers and biting my lip. I studied his floor with newfound_ interes_. I honestly never knew that white carpet could turn that very intriguing shade of beige green.

''Josue?''

I looked up to Dr. B sitting behind his desk, frail limp hands folded neatly amongst a tornado of junk: books, pens, papers; mostly just notes and reminders and such. His frizzy white hair was a mess as usual, and with his bright intelligent eyes, spectacles and amazing IQ, I could pretend he was Albert Einstein. There was a halo of framed certificates naming his accomplishments hanging behind him on the wall, all neatly arranged.

Was it possible to be both erudito _and _loco?

'' El cafe con leche. _Your_ coffee... I mean, that's what you like, right?'' My eyes betrayed me and I stole a glance at Fury. Adios mio...''Ijustkindabroughtitsoifyoudon'twantitIcangoso--''

''Who the hell is he?''

I nearly dropped the mug when I heard him speak; nerves shot, I stumbled over to Dr. B's desk and plopped it in front of him, burning myself with hot coffee in the process. Cursing silently, I looked up at the doctor and mouthed the words burning in my mind: Que te pasa?

He blinked at me in utter confusement and grinned, his dimples pushing back the wrinkles marking his face. Patting my hand, he chuckled, his voice light with mirth. ''Go sit down, boy. You might as well hear this too''

Que?

I almost spoke but the combined force of the threatening growl coming from behind me and the obvious point the doctor was making by completely ignoring the look I was giving him by taking a _looooong_ sip of his coffee sent me to the seat beside Fury. He looked over to me with abhorrence and snorted. I scooted my chair away.

How the heck did he get that _thing_ to sit in a chair?

Dr. B coughed into his fist and laid his mug to rest on top of a large weathered book to his right. He nodded at me and turned back to the psychopath sitting across from him.

''Are we at agreement?''

The cyborg snorted disdainfully with a look of pure disgust before his face broke into a wide grin. Tilting his head up, he chuckled dangerously, eyeing the weak defenseless man sitting before him.

''And why the hell shouldn't I just fuck you up for not doing what the hell I tell you?''

I cringed inwardly and outwardly then, my mind racing. Agreement? Fury was actually _sitting_ down? He spoke in full sentences? (Though my ears were burning from his word choice). He was _sitting _down and _talking_? When my brain finally managed to wrap itself around the concept that he was in fact sitting down and speaking (I for one, thought he only spoke in grunts), the meaning of his words sunk in.

I clenched the arms of my seat tightly. No me digas! He was going to kill Dr. B? My eyes darted back and forth between the two men before I finally gathered enough courage to speak. Pathetically, it only came out to sound like a miserable squeak.

''What's going on?''

And guess what? They ignored me.

Dr. B sighed.

''What? That's it?''

''Not exactly...'' The elder man picked up his mug, earning a glare from the cyborg seated before him. ''Put that down. What the hell did you have to say before?'' Fury snarled. His voice alone made me want to crawl out of my skin and make my escape. When the proud doctor didn't scream in horror and scram, I found myself feeling proud of him. He was familia.

He obeyed and sat his mug back on the book and smiled at Bryan Fury as if he was not a psychopathic killing machine—literally. ''I am a very old man, I do not have long to live...'' He paused to let this sink in. ''Why should I fear death at my age? I will not help you knowing the consequences for doing so. Accepting my terms benefits both you and myself''

Fury frowned slightly, brow knotted in concentration and irritation. He leaned back in the swivel chair before kicking himself forward. He brought himself to a stop right before making impact by lifting the heel of his boot to the desk. Letting it fall, he leaned in over it, itching close to the elder man's face with a snarl that would strike a Pitt dead. Dr. B's frown deepened . ''If you want more time to think about it...''

''I'll do it''

Fury stood up then, never once taking his eyes off the doctor. He was both powerful and merciless, two of the three tools needed to be the perfect weapon. He was feared by many; most of which who were now all asleep in their graves in pieces. He towered over the older man and stood out in his office sharply--silver hair cropped like any soldier's, and clad in army wear. Above all, he was heavily armed and standing like a sentry above the great doctor; he could have done a number of things to him, all of which would kill him in a second. But the difference between this man and his other victims was the fact that both Dr. Boskonivitch and Fury knew that he would not kill him.

To do anything that would benefit another put a foul taste in his mouth, but this time he had no other choice. He had entrusted himself to the doctor once before to receive technological upgrades and was extremely pleased with the results. Considering that Dr. Boskonovitch was willing to correct some system damages ensued on him during a fight with Yoshimitsu after what he did to the doctor's facility, he was lucky that he didn't call for the authorities as soon as he heard that he had come; though his appearance at the new facility was by invitation.

But of course he wanted something in return: reassurance that he would not go on a killing spree for one. _Yeah right, _he thought with great amusement. It would simply have been easier to threaten the old man with death or torture, but he had no fear of it, and risking his chances of receiving the upgrades weren't on his 'to do list'. Unfortunately, he would have to play the doctor's little game for now.

To say he despised the current situation would have been an understatement.

...

I sighed with exaggerated relief when I was finally alone with the doctor. I laughed at the oddness of the situation, releasing the built up tension I felt. ''Adios mio! Gracias!'' I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. I blew the dark curls from my forehead as I spun around in my seat. ''Now that was odd. Isn't he just agradable y _magnanimo_? Ha! Que hiciste? How did you get him to sit down and talk, eh? In fact, what _were_ you guys talking about?''

The old man fell silent and got a faraway look in those azure eyes of his, as if he was seeing something someplace else; at another time. I studied him closely, wondering why he would trust a complete loony killer to do something for him--basically risking his life. He wasn't that old. Or maybe he was just tonto. When I began to think that maybe I was wrong, and he was in fact very old since it appeared he had forgotten that I had asked him a question, he spoke.

''We spoke of bringing me back my joy''

Rachel felt as if something was wrong the moment she opened the screen door. Balancing the bags of groceries on her knee, she flicked on the light switch and kicked the door shut behind her as she entered. From the foul smell in the air, she could tell that the garbage had still not been taken out. Dropping the plastic bags on the counter, she left the kitchen after making a note to wash the large load of dishes soaking in the murky water in the sink.

It did not take long to search the one bedroom house. It was in a sorry state; it hadn't been cleaned in a week. Sighing and biting down panic, she quickly tied back her hair and brushed back her bangs. Her sister had evidently disobeyed her again and went outside while was she was out. Her mind played all sorts of depressing scenarios that her sister could be caught up in.

Rachel made her way back into the bedroom that she shared with her sister. For the first time since she came to live there, she completely ignored the roaches that scurried past her as she searched under the bed for the umbrella which she was positive she kicked there the week before.

It was going to rain.

...

''Is it dark out?''

The rodent which she held whose identity she guessed to be a mouse did not answer. Sensitive fingers stroked the wet fur, calming the jittery nerves of the tiny creature. Head tilted back and eyes closed, she welcomed the rain as she tried to guess what the specimen was which she had captured. Her eyes were merely closed to protect them from the pouring rain. She would have been unable to see the small rodent even if her eyes were open; because for the moment, she was blind.

Deciding that she was in fact holding a small street mouse, she released it onto the concrete and strained her ears to hear which direction it went off to over the rain. Content after she could hear it no more, she leaned back in the bench visualizing her surroundings in her mind. Over the years with a lot of practice, she learned to draw out the entire neighborhood in her mind like a map. As of now, she knew that she was three blocks from her home at the 'basketball court'. What it really was was makeshift hoops made by an elderly woman named Mattie and her nieces who nailed them to the walls of two old buildings. The metal bench which she sat on was built alongside the front wall of the building, putting the 'court' to her back.

She had even memorized the colorful art which had been spray painted on those old brick walls, some of which she did herself when she was able to see. Encouraged by her sister, all courage and smiles, she taught herself to overcome her fear of their little world when she lapsed into blindness. As long as everything was constant, she was not afraid. Anira opened her eyes and smiled to herself. She wondered if her sister was as soaked to the bone as she.

She groaned out load.

She had forgotten about Rachel!

Standing up, she left the bench and walked quickly down the sidewalk praying her sister would be late in coming home from the grocery store. It wouldn't be the first, or the second time for that matter. It was because of that she dared to venture outside in longer and longer periods of time under her sister's watchful eye. If Rachel were to discover her 'activities', she would kill her; but worst, she might actually lock her in their room like she had threatened the last time she was caught. Her sister was becoming even stricter now that the periods she would lapse into blindness stretched out longer.

She quickened her pace. _Please don't be home, please don't be home, please don't be home, ple--_

The brunette walked right into something soft but firm and stumbled back, balancing herself quickly before she fell onto the sidewalk. Anira blushed, absolutely embarrassed for forgetting to listen out for other people.

''I'm so sorry, I didn't see you'' she said quickly, hoping that the person wasn't elderly, or even worse: Crazy.

''Ani! Oh my God you had me so worried!''

Rachel embraced her sister hard, abandoning all thoughts of punishment as relief washed over her. Releasing her, she took in Anira's appearance and despite herself, felt a smile crawl on her lips. The petite young woman was entirely drenched, light brown hair matted to her skin, following the example of her soaked clothes. She knew that she was just as wet, especially after losing their ratty umbrella.

_Wretched thing was falling apart anyway..._

''Rachel? Are you just going to stand there or are you going to take me home?''

If it wasn't for the smile on her sister's lips and the light tone of voice she used, Rachel would have done more than frown and wrinkle her nose at her statement. Especially when her sister should not have been out to begin with. Sighing, the older girl took her hand and led her the rest of the way home in the rain.

...

Anira sat the brush on the night stand and plopped back into the bed, pretending that the mattress wasn't stiff and foul smelling at all; but spongy, soft and nice with a fresh citrus scent.

A roach crawling over her leg brought her back to reality.

She squealed and bolted upright, vigorously rubbing her legs to rid herself of the prickly feeling on her skin. No matter how long she had to live with them, she never grew accustomed to the family of roaches they shared a home with: they disgusted her. Not wanting to chance coming across anymore creepy crawlies, the brunette kicked off the sheets from the bed and called out to her sister.

''Rachel! Can you bring me a glass of water please?''

A loud crash followed by a curse was heard from somewhere in the kitchen.

''Ugh! I broke it! O.K--wait! Damn it, hold on, someone's at the door!''

Taking care to step over the broken shards of green china strewn on the carpet, Rachel made it to the door without incident. She opened it and after a pause, smiled politely. The stranger, a tall man with silver hair did not return the gesture.

''Good afternoon, how ca--''

She was cut off from the lack of oxygen as his hand shot out from beside him and wrapped itself around her neck. The man lifted her effortlessly from her feet. After stepping inside and observing her quickly, he tossed her to the side and looked around the room. Rachel sputtered and clutched her sore throat. Panting heavily, she lifted herself from the floor, wincing as a sharp pain shot up through her side. The man who had broken in turned to her with a cold look. She shuddered and made an attempt to stand to her feet.

''Where is Anira Goldin?''

This was not really a question, she knew, but a command. His voice was harsh and she was reminded of how strong he was and what he was capable of doing. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall trying to still the dizziness playing havoc with her head. She took a shaky breath before turning to look at him.

''I don't know what you're talking about''

He smiled malevolently at her remark and took a step toward her, enjoying the way she cringed when he did so. He stopped when he heard someone quietly enter the den. The new girl was standing before them, staring straight ahead oblivious to what was occurring. If she had been able to see her sister on the verge of tears leaning against the wall with a nasty bruise on her neck and arm and the built man standing before her, heavily armed, she would not have smiled and laughed.

''Eric, is that you at the door? Rachel, you two really should just--''

''Ani! Go!''

Anira blinked in surprise at her sister's outburst, her thin brows furrowed in confusement. She took a step back, her heart racing; the fear in her sister's voice had shot her nerves. She almost ran off when she shouted, but she didn't. Not when her sister was possibly in trouble.

''What's wrong? Rachel...''

''Run away!'' she shouted, pushing herself from the wall. The blonde stumbled, but caught herself before she fell. ''Get the hell out of here!''

Bryan turned to Anira. From what he could tell, she matched the doctor's description. She looked around the age he was given, and her hair was shoulder length and brown. He could also see she was blind, it was obvious; she still remained where she was, grayish olive eyes darting about the room but never catching anything. And then there was the fact that the other girl called her Ani, which he guessed to be short for Anira. There was little doubt in his mind; this girl was definitely the doctor's granddaughter.


	2. When it Rains

**The Goose and the Gander**

**Chapter Two: When it rains**

_''They ran in silence through the dark, taking care not to slip in the dewy grass. The two made it to the back screen door of her home without incident, dripping wet from their visit in the neighbor's pool. The blonde turned to her boyfriend and smiled cattily, blue eyes flashing. ''Looks like we made it'' she whispered softly. _

_'Really?' The blonde spun around at the gruff voice behind her. A tall slim woman, her mother, frowned. 'What is this?' she asked icily. Her daughter stepped back. _Fuck!_...she thought before turning to Jake; at least her father wasn't here. She froze as a calloused hand gripped her shoulder from the man standing beside her terrified boyfriend. 'You have a lot of explaining to do young lady' he said''_

Anira screamed when she felt strong hands wrap themselves around her waist and lift her into the air. She was laid across something she took to be someone's shoulder. Peeved and frightened, she beat her fists against the man's back, yelling obscenities at the top of her lungs.

She felt him swing his arm. Her sister yelled in pain after a loud crash, like glass shattering, rung in the house. Truly scared now out of fear for her sister, the brunette struggled against the arms that held her even harder.

''Rachel!''

The blonde moaned pitifully and clutched her sides before lifting her hand and gingerly touching her face. She winced when she felt that it was warm and wet. Rachel could faintly hear someone call out to her, and she looked up. The picture she was receiving was blurry, but something in her heart was telling her something important was occurring; it was just that her sluggish mind couldn't come up with the reasons why. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was the door slam.

...

Anira yelped when she was thrown to the ground--hard concrete. She hissed as she landed on her elbow and pain shot up her arm. Clutching it, she sat up but screamed again when she was lifted up to her feet by a yank of her hair. She could feel someone lean in close to her; fear clawed at her senses, begging her to scream again--but she knew that that could prove to be lethal.

''Make a sound, and I'll kill you''

She was right.

Making a nod of her head to show that she understood, she was then tugged harshly by the wrist as she was led down the sidewalk. She stumbled unexpectedly and tumbled to her knees. The hold on her already sore wrist tightened as she was once again yanked viciously to her feet. Her eyes began to water due to both the pain in her wrist, knee's, and elbow and as the reality of the situation hit her.

She was going to die.

Her mind played for her even more disturbing things that could happen to her, and she found herself deeply regretting listening to the news when she did decide to stay home. Kidnapping, murder, rape, torture...it happened everywhere and to almost anyone; her paranoid sister always told her terrible stories to scare her. She could be taken advantaged of and murdered with her body left to decay in someone's backyard lake, left to die...buried alive...sold as a sex slave...her mind spun at the possibilities, and she felt a horrible fear squeeze her to the point where she felt as if she was being suffocated.

Curse her sister's paranoia.

She took a step back and tried to wrestle her arm free from the man's grip. It was completely pointless, since it felt as if her arm would pop out of its socket before he released her--but she would rather die fighting then give up and let God knows what happen to her.

He was a little surprised but for the most part annoyed, when she began to fight against him. Carrying her draped across his shoulder's kicking and screaming bloody murder would surely bring unwanted attention to himself--not that anyone could exactly do shit to stop him, but Dr. Boskonovitch greatly stressed the term ''discreetly rescue''.

Though the fact that he kidnapped her in the first place was going against the doctor's wishes. But in his mind, as long as he got the damn girl, it shouldn't make a difference to the old man how he got her as long as she was there. The threat on her life didn't stun her into silence and submission as he had planned, so he took it up a notch.

He wrapped his fingers around her throat, causing her to cease her struggles immediately. Instead, she reached for his hands and gripped them tightly, trying desperately to pry his locked fingers from around her neck. Her head began to spin wildly. The strength in her hands increasingly faded as her legs buckled from beneath her. She was not positive, but she thought she heard him speak, his voice rough like sandpaper, reached out to her dying brain.

''Don't you **dare**''

It was probably due to the lack of oxygen to her brain which impaired her thinking accompanied with the knowledge that she was going to die anyway that lead her to laugh--a choked broken laugh that she instantly regretted doing. It was just that his words seemed so silly to her. Unseeing olive eyes flashed with amusement.

''O-or y-you'll...what? Kill...m-me?''

He released her. Since his hold on her was the only thing keeping her to her feet, she fell. He caught her and swung her over his shoulders with barely any effort at all. _Fuck it, _he thought. If he caught the attention of everyone in the city, it wouldn't matter. The doctor would just have to suck it up and take the girl.

Arina would have been more surprised with her current position if it wasn't for the dizziness which was increasingly making her sick and the sound of irate tires screeching against the pavement--besides; she was too busy trying to will herself from falling into unconsciousness.

Two men stepped out of a sleek black van which had driven up beside them on the road guns drawn. The vehicle then sped off, leaving them alone on the sidewalk with both Fury and the girl. It was dark; the streetlamps had long since gone out along with the lights within in the homes of the sleeping people. The only light came from a house window three blocks away and a shrouded moon. It was too cloudy for any stars to be seen. This helped veil the men's faces; that, and the large hoods that cast sinister and ominous shadows on their grinning faces. They approached haughtily with an air of confidence as they sneered upon what they took to be an unarmed man and a woman who from what their superiors informed them, was blind.

They were mistaken for the most part.

Bryan reached behind him to his belt and wrapped his hand around the gun handle. This movement did not go unnoticed by the two men and the stockier one waved his Beretta at the cyborg, an amused Cheshire like grin spreading on his face.

''Hey! I got orders not to kill you, so I suggest you don't try nothin slick'' he drawled. ''I want your hands where I can see them''

Bryan almost laughed, but obeyed--swinging his Ingram M11 Heavyweight around to face them. Each man was showered with bullets, their screams cut off when their brains shut down--their heads full of 600 rounds each. Anira screamed in realization of what was unfolding as they toppled to the ground in a heap, their clothes soaked with red. Bryan could hear people beginning to stir inside their homes--it would not be long until the bodies were discovered. He returned his gun to his belt and left the scene in no particular hurry. The cover of the darkness would save his identity for the time being.

That was as 'discreet' as he could get.

Anira was completely unaware of the tears streaming down her face. The only thing she was aware of was the raw terror and the images playing in her mind. She saw a sea of red and dead bodies, killed by the hands of her kidnapper. He killed them. That sentence replayed itself over and over in her mind, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

_He killed them, he killed them, he killed them, he killed them, he killed them..._

''Hey you''

At first she thought she was imagining it, him speaking to her that is. The brunette did not know exactly how scared she was until she forced herself to speak. She could barely recognize her voice: It was almost inaudible and broken. Full of fear. She was even more surprise when he heard her.

''Do you have any money?''

''W-wha...?'' she managed to squeak, unable to comprehend what he was asking. She furrowed her brows in thought. ''If I give you some money...w-will you let me go?''

''No'' _Hell no._

She wasn't exactly surprised, but she was most definitely disappointed. She felt her heart sink. Anira toyed with the idea of attempting to escape again, but abandoned it after going over the odds of actually succeeding. _Yeah right..._she thought bitterly. There was the fact that there was no way she could overpower him, and in addition to that, she couldn't exactly kick him below the belt when she couldn't even see where that was. And above all of that, there was still the excruciating soreness in her neck. ''_I won't die without giving up a fight!'' _was what she had been thinking earlier, she thought dryly...She found herself wondering where her earlier enthusiasm had gone and whether or not if it would take her with it.

Annoyed that she did not answer him, Bryan reached up and squeezed her shoulder. Hard. Anira yelped in pain and reached for his wrists. They met air. The cyborg had already released her, and severely irritated, grabbed her by the waist and swung her back down from his shoulders. If it wasn't for the fact that he could obviously rip her in half, she would have told him how sick she was of being tossed around like a rag doll. Sanity told her to run, so was it insanity that told her to stay put? She was blind and had no idea where she was. What was she going to do, outrun him? Or just run like mad? That strong and extremely scary voice of his snapped her back to reality.

''Do you have money or not?'' he asked. She looked to the direction of his voice which was above her head. How far up? She figured that he was about a good half foot taller than she. Great.

''I think I have about a hundred fifty dollars...'' she started, hoping that it was enough to still his anger and relieved that she had gotten paid earlier that day. She couldn't see, but he nodded slightly to himself.

''Listen carefully. I will not repeat myself later on'' he said suddenly. Arina frowned but nodded, already having an idea of what he was going to say to her. A cold breeze nipped at her bare arms and she shuddered. Even in her blindness, she could tell that it was extremely dark--it was late. Her body was all in for rest despite the predicament she was in; her eyes drooped as sleep called out sweetly to her.

''First, you will tell me where the cheapest motel is located''

Warning sirens went off in her head, but the promise of a bed prevented her from actually caring. She thought back to the times she could see. If they weren't too far from her house, there would be a very small one a few blocks away. Rachel would hang out there with whatever boy she had snagged, and she would stay in the room next to her's. Arina nodded slightly. ''I know one...'' she answered softly. Maybe after she got some sleep, she could wake up before he did and call the cops...

The promise of some rest and possible rescue put her in a slightly better mood.

''Second, you will not speak to anyone. If you call for help, I will kill you. Don't even think of escaping. I haven't exactly been in a good mood lately...''

He intentionally did not finish the rest of that statement, leaving the consequences of disobeying him to her very creative imagination. She heard sirens somewhere far off. She shuddered, this time from more then the cold when she thought of what might have happened to those people he killed. The brunette did her best to still her fears. If he had wanted to kill her, he would have done so by now...right?

''You got that?'' he asked icily, words cutting deep.

She was scared.

''Y-yes...I understand''


	3. Judging a Book

**The Goose and the Gander**

**Chapter Three: Judging a Book**

_''I saw it the next day. I was sitting in the den in front of the t.v, Tinker Bell puzzle in front of me; and I was almost done. I picked up a piece from the decreasing pile beside me and fitted it into the blonde fairy's smile. Two more to go. The elderly woman on the screen was sobbing hesterically. Poor thing. ''I just want to find out who did this to my baby...'' she choked. I smirked. Her 'baby' was a bully; the most handsome boy in school with a heart of artificial gold--a jackass. _

_My mother saw this, and looked down at me from the sofa, her head resting on her husband's lap. ''What are you smiling at? It's a shame what happened to him...I hope the crazy idiot who killed him get's locked up'' My father nodded. ''And I hope they throw away the key'' He looked down at my unfinished puzzle and his face immediately broke into a smile. ''That's great, honey! You're almost done!'' I nodded to myself. ''I hope they catch him too...'' I remarked, though I doubted it: I buried the knife in the backyard. Chuckling, I fitted the last two pieces in the puzzle needed to complete the smile. It was always the quiet ones...''._

When she awoke, the first thing she realized was how terribly hungry she was. The gnawing pain was the cause of her waking up; she could only sleep so long with the loud complaints of her stomach. Groaning, she made a move to cover her head with the pillow beside her in an attempt to fall back to sleep. That's when she realized something else.

Her wrists were tied to the bedpost.

Bolting upright, she tugged at the bindings, mind frantic. All of the events from the day before came flooding in her mind; getting kidnapped, witnessing murder, being taken to a motel...

Her plan...

Anira cursed herself for not waking up earliar; she had thought that she wouldn't sleep late if her mind knew she was in trouble. _And speaking of trouble..._

Where was her kidnapper?

She tried again to work the bindings loose, refusing to give up until her wrists were raw. Ignoring the pain competing with her hunger, she stilled herself and strained her ears to ''see'' what was in the room she was in.

The first thing she noticed was the ticking of a clock on the other side of the room. Brows furrowed, she concentrated even further to seperate the sounds her keen ears were recieving. There was the faint sound of a busy neighborhood; motors, horns blaring, and morning chatter from the people, meaning she was close to a window either on or near the first floor. There was also the barely audible hum from the AC and the refridgerator...the dripping of a faucet...

She froze.

There was also the sound of someone's steady breathing to her left.

''Who are you?!'' she yelled in a mixture of anger and fear; she knew he was her kidnapper, but who exactly _was he?_

Bryan made in unaudible sound before uncrossing his arms and getting up from the mattress opposite her's. Anira began her struggles again, biting her lip to stop herself from moaning in pain. Bryan walked passed her and over to the window and looked out through the blinds. There were many people outside: Most of the buildings adjacent to the motel they were staying at were fast food joints, so it was expected.

There was no one in particular who caught his attention: Mostly everyone were teenagers or mothers walking with smaller children. His sharp eyes scanned every individual, magnifying them a couple of times in order to catch something that would have been hidden otherwise.

_Click._

He saw what he was looking for amongst three men dressed casually near the front of the motel. Of the three, two were armed. The other man was speaking on a cell; laughing, he looked up the buiilding and smiled.

The cyborg stepped away from the window and turned to his ''charge''. The doctor's granddaughter was still struggling against the rope he used to tie her to the bedposts. He had waited until she had fallen asleep to tie her up; he did not want her spending the entire night trying to figure out how to get free--to be on the safe side. Not that he thought she could actually escape.

In her blindess, the girl took to glaring at the wall behind him, gray eyes ablaze. ''Let me go! I don't think you want to kill me, how long you've been dragging me around, you sicko'' she spat through clenched teeth. ''Are you gong to take advantage of me, you freakin pig? Can't get nothing from a willing man or woman, so your taking them against your will? How butt ugly _are_ you?'' The girl went on an entire rant, painsakingly scared shitless but trying to cover it up.

Ignoring her, he checked the time on the clock mounted on the wall before fishing out a cell from his pant's pocket; he flipped it open and called Dr. Boskonovitch.

The doctor picked up on the first ring, voice eager. The old man had checked and rechecked his recent calls on his cell in case he missed the cyborg's call; even though he had the phone with him at all times. When he heard Bryan's voice, his heart leapt with joy--despite the fact that the other man sounded severly irked.

''I have the wench. She's beginning to really piss me off, so I suggest that I leave today to bring her to you''

Dr. B shook his head even though he knew the other man could not see the gesture. ''There's too many men following her trail here. Wait there until I call you, but _please: _Do not saty in one place to long''

Bryan frowned in disgust and gave the girl a sour look. ''I don't like acting like some scared chicken. I could easily kill whatever jackass that tried to kill me'' he said matter-of-factly.

''I can't risk that. I have a plan that I am working on to ensure her safe arrival so be patient. Remember what you are doing this for''

He laughed. He reminded himslef what he was wasting his time doing for an old man and an insolent girl every minute. System repairs and improvements from one of the world's greatest minds.

''Fury, let me speak to her''

He replied to the doctor's request with a snort. Bryan tossed the phone on the bed over his shoulder. ''Your old man wants to speak with you. Make it quick''

Arina stopped at her struggling and looked to where she heard a phone drop, frowning. As far as she was concerned, she had no living relatives; Rachel wasn't her blood sister, they just found each other at the orphanage they ran away from when they were younger. If her grandfather indeed wanted to speak with her, how did Jigsaw (her nickname for her 'kidnapper') contact him? Did he demand a ransom for her? She fretted over this. Why would he pay to have her back if they never met? If Jigsaw didn't need her, he would just kill her...

Forcing herself back to reality, she turned to where she believed Jigsaw to be and spoke.

''My arms are tied up''

Bryan crossed his arms. ''So?''

''...Well, I can't talk on the phone with my hands tied up...'' she said slowly, infuriation quickly building up as she pointed out the obvious. ''Unless you want to hold it to my ear'' She added this knowing full well he wouldn't agree. His only other option would be to untie her...

Smiling, Bryan went over to the bed and picked up the phone, looking down at the girl as he spoke to the doctor. ''She doesn't want to speak with you'''

Arina's mouth literally dopped open. ''What?! I never said that you creep! Let me speak with him!''

On the other end, the doctor frowned and pushed his spectacles farther up the bridge of his nose. He clearly heard his granddaughter's respose to Bryan's remark. Thinking about it, his frown was replaced with an increasing smile. He hadn't heard her voice since she was only three asking if she could sit on is broad shoulder's with that beautiful smile of hers. Now she was shouting angrily ready to rip the cyborg apart. It amazed him how fearless she was in her blindness.

Or maybe she was fearless because of her blindness.

''Bryan,'' the doctor said quite calmly. ''Can I please speak to Arina? Do not make me upset''

Fury laughed at that, disgust building up at what the older man was suggesting. That he _had _to do whatever the doctor said and that he was supposed to give a flying fuck by making him upset. He hated to have to be told what to do and have to actually _listen. _

''The way I see it now old man, I can kill the girl if you don't do as I say'' he responded fiercly.

Arina shuddered and took up tugging at the bindings around her wrists.

Dr. Boskonvitch ignored the squeeze of his heart at the threat and remained calm. ''If you do anything to hurt my granddaughter Fury, you can forget recieving any technological help from me. You would just have to kill this old man''

_In cruel and unimaginable ways..._ he thought, but he kept that to himself. Rolling his eyes with a grunt, he took a knife from his belt and cut the rope between the bindings of her wrist and the bedpost. This caught her by surprise, but not as much as the phone hitting her in the forehead.

''Ow!'' she yelped before sighed angrily. When she moved her arm to grab the phone, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist. Moving it under her nose to smell what she thought was there, her eyes narrowed when she found that she was correct.

She smelled the metallic scent of blood.

Taking the phone, she had every intention in her mind to tell her grandfather the way she was being treated. She didn't remember him, but he had to care if he cared enough to speak with her.

Unless he was telling her he refused to pay the money...

''H-hello?'' she asked, suddenly feeling very timid and completely ignoring the snort she heard from 'Jigsaw'.

Dr. B smiled warmly at the sound of her voice. He remembered the very outgoing little girl who wanted to make friends with everybody and everything. Shy wasn't in her vocabulary. ''Hello Arina'' he answered.

The brunette's eyes widened as her lips parted. The words she had been planning on saying died on her tongue. His voice though changed by age sparked memories she thought dead.

_''Thank-you Mr. B!'' she exclaimed blue eyes sparkling as she licked the vanilla icecream cone placed in her hands. ''Let's ride on the horses!'' Brown eyes smiled down at her as the tall handsome man took her small little hand in his and led her to the horse riding ranch in the festival._

_''How is the weather up there Arina?'' Mr. B asked. The litle girl squealed with happiness. Daring to remove her arms from around his neck, she reached for the sky in an attempt to wrap the sunlight around her fingers. ''It's sunny'' she remarked. The brunette smiled at this. ''Do you think it's warm enough to make lemonade?'' he asked, a twinkle in his brown eyes. Arina, the girl mounted on his shoulders squealed again. ''Yes!''_

_Arina managed to open her sleepy eyes a bit. They were sore from crying all afternoon. The gorgous blue of her eyes were beginning to loose their luter as they changed into a cloudy gray: S1he was experiencing her first lapse into blindness. ''I'm scared Mr. B'' she whispered softly. He nodded sadly with understanding. ''I know'' She tried to look at him and frowned when all she saw was an extremely blurry figure. Her eyes watered again. ''Where are you going?'' His frown deepened. ''I can't tell you...'' he whispered back. The little girl closed her eyes. ''Will you caome back?'' ''I hope'' he answered before letting go of her hand._

Arina felt her eyes water at the rush of emotions that ovecame her; hurt, anger, overwhelming joy and peace. She hastily rubbed at her tears and took a shaky breath. If there was one thing she knew about the most important man in her life, it was this; he was definetly not her grandfather. She knew because she had wished upon everything that he was. That or she would be able to marry him one day. She laughed at that. He had to be in his sixties by now. She had recently turned twenty-one.

''Arina?''

She nearly jumped when he spoke again. She heard deep concern in his voice, and she felt instantly embarrassed that she had drifted off like that. Arina was about to speak again when she remembered the pain she felt when he had left her life and how it intensified tenfold to hurt when she realized that he was never coming back. ''Why...'' she said slowly, unaware that she was voicing her thoughts out loud. ''Why did you leave?''

Dr. Boskonovitch was taken back by the suddeness of her question and the extreme emotion he heard in those four words. He was expecting that question from her sooner or later, but really later rather than sooner. The pain he had buried all those years for abandoning her immediately resurfaced as if he hadn't trained himself almost all his life to contain them. It almost overwhelmed him, but he managed to get ahold of himself in order to explain to her that he had no intention of hurting her.

''I had very important things to do...'' he started, knowing as soon as the words got out that they would do no good.

''So important that you couldn't call me?'' she asked incredulous. ''To busy to get me out of that Godforsaken orphanage? I lived on the streets for two years for crying out loud!'' She didn't mean to shout this, but when she did, Bryan gave her a dirty look before going to the window again. This conversation was going to take a while.

The doctor winced at her words and sighed. This was a lot harder than he thought. He looked at a framed faded picture on his desk. It was of him and little Arina at a festival. She was mounted on a horse and smiling warmly at the camera, her hand in his when he was about twenty years younger. He was in his mid-forties at the time; there was only a hint of grey in his brown hair, and no trace at all of wrinkles. There was too much to explain to her, none of which was appropriate to speak about over the phone.

''Listen Arina, the man who is with you is named Bryan Fury. I, er, _asked _that he bring you to me in a few week's time. You need to trust him for the moment. There is a lot to explain and I promis--''

''Wait!'' she said hastily. Her mind was having enough trouble grasping the fact that she was supposed to trust Jigsaw to even comprehend anything else. He had kidnapped her hadn't he? If he was supposed to be bringing her to Mr. B because of his request, he was doing a lousy job. ''Tell me now, there's plenty of--''

The phone was then snatched out of her hand by Bryan. ''Sorry, but _no,_ there isn't'' he told her unsympathetically before hanging it up and pocketing the cell. He removed the knife from his belt again and slashed the other rope before taking her by the waist and swinging her over his left shoulder. She let out a squeal of surprise and groaned when she realized what was going on.

''Please, I won't run away, I promise'' she said pleadingly. ''Just let me--''

''No'' Came his instant reply. However, he thought better of it and threw her ''gently'' on the floor on the other side of the bed.

She cursed loudly when she hit the bed and rolled unto the ground, and was about to stand up when she heard a loud crash in front of them; it sounded as if someone had kicked down the door, and when she heard an eruption of bullets, she knew she was correct.


End file.
